The proof is in the pudding. I cannot understand why this is such a difficult choice? Obama took a bad economy and made it worse. He nearly doubled our national debt in only 3.5 years! That is outrageous. Unemployment was at 7.8% when he took office...its been over 8.2% and as high as almost 10% since then. He has forced a healthcare bill down our throats..at least half the country is opposed to...a bill that add almost $3 trillion to the national debt. Explain to me how things are better than four years ago?

More Americans are collecting welfare and unemployment checks than at any time in our history. This is progress?

It was only one of two choices he could have made (Rubio the other) and still have a chance to beat the Chicago mob that is in office now. Ryan may be too intelligent for the American people though. The important thing is for conservatives to win the Senate and maintain control of the House. Our economy was doing fine until the dems took over in 2006.

More people were out of work during the Great Depression and there was no unemployment insurance. There was Home Relief and it such a burden on the treasury that it was the reason the Supreme Court approved the Unemployment tax and the Social Security Insurance program. Hard times did not happen overnight...this crisis has been in the making for the last 40 years. It can't be solved overnight, and it cant be solved with a truculent body of legislators concerned with personal careers and power as opposed to working together for the general welfare. Job loss and the loss of manufacturing began with the establishment of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a quasi government organization that recruited and aided American business and industry in relocation to foreign countries and providing insurance against losses. The lure..a bigger market and cheap labor. The trade treaties compounded the loss. Blaming Obama is a fools mission.

Romney just lost the election. Ryan alienated us Republican moderates with his economic plan. When you propose cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits after paying into these for forty years, you'll lose the senior vote. When you propose deep cuts in education and grants and veterans benefits, you hurt hard working Republican families making under $200,000 a year. Even our own party had problems with his plan. No wonder some of our best Senators and Representatives are not running for re-election. We're being brainwashed.

$50,814 Grandmothers share of Natl debt

Grandmothers are still paying income tax. We pay taxes on pensions, AND on our Social Security income. My tax rate is higher than Mitt Romneys.

$50,814 Mothers share of Natl Debt

I am thankful he has made the difference clear. Vote for the rich or for the people. A vote for Romney is not a vote for the people.

Learning more about Ryan and he has accomplished things in Washington and has the respect of his peers. He put a budget out there that got the majority support from the dems and republicans. If Obama can stand on a record that is positive, then he deserves credit but downing our country's credit rating for the first-time and having no clue about basic economics isn't something to be proud of among the many other screw ups he can take credit for. I know the government employees, such as teachers, will always support a democratic since it is difficult for them to understand that unlike private industry, there are no guarantees in holding a job or not being dismissed if you don't achieve your goals. I think Ryan will be a breath of fresh air and looking forward to learning more about him. He understands that you have to live within your means whether you are government or an individual. Those who can comprehend that concept surely understand that a major shift in mentality is needed in D.C.

The national debt can be paid when there is a fully and gainfully employed middle class. It has always been the middle class and its growing prosperity that paid the expenses of the country. We have been in debt before, and paid it ...but we had a heavy industrial manufacturing base here.

$50,814 Wife's share of Natl Debt

Its one thing to live within your means, but too many have NO means to live within. That cannot be blamed on the citizens, that has evolved over years of economic policies that created free trade treaties intended to lift the foreign economies which it did, the unintended consequences was the sinking of ours. We have a consumer driven economy that thrived for years but is now dependent on people who are not making the stuff we buy.

the voucher plan. those 55 and over are grandfathered until they die. Those under 55 have an option. Those 55 are the baby boomers, do you have any idea of the total number of seniors or how long they are living today? Those under 55 will be funding those vouchers for seniors who are grandfathered and their own until they die. A 6000 dollar voucher will not buy a medical insurance policy today that covers as much as Medicare covers. When those under 55 turn 65 or 67 which Ryan proposes as the new eligible age what will an independent policy cost? Seniors will have to add another 6000 or more to get it. This is a windfall to the insurance industry. This will take us back to where we were before Medicare. Some will be able to afford insurance, most will not. Backwards.

Tell me what your grandmothers, mothers, wife, kids, dogs, canary, share of the cost of the war and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan is. What is their share of foreign aid to the rest of the world, to Israel? The price of freedom...is not free..and if there is not enough cash to pay for it...then we borrow...and that is authorized in the constitution.

$50,814 Daughters share of Natl Debt

My share of the national debt...50,814.00. Stop whining. Increased revenue will pay it down. A fully and gainfully employed middle class.

$50,814 Grand Daughters share of Natl Debt

still whining. 6 Marines were killed Saturday. Thats a price you and yours do not have to pay because others are willing.

$50,814 Great Grand Daughters share of Natl Debt

$304,884-Obamas gift to Women in terms of Natl Debt:

Grandmother $50,814
Mother $50,814
Wife $50,814
Daughter $50,814
Grand Daughter $50,814
Great Grand Daughter $50,814

To Charles...
who pays for those who have no insurance today..all the rest of us. Those ER bills and free clinics are subsidized by taxpayers including the working poor who cannot afford insurance. Ironic isn't it?
The state exchanges are designed to help those with low incomes.
As for doctors being told how to practice medicine...that is happening now...the insurance companies determine what they will pay for and what they wont. It was the denial of overtime payments for an ICU by our insurance that motivated the hospital to move my husband who was critical to a regular med floor. He died. His surgeon told me he should not have been moved away from the critical care staff.
You are criticizing something that has not yet been fully implemented. All innovation get criticized....if we never advanced despite criticism we would not have have gone to the moon. We would still be living in the 18th century.

To Charla....the previous for you also..sorry about the name misspelled.

So what if there are rich democrats, or liberals in hollywood are rich. A lot of those hollywood rich people are right wing tea hats as well. The cost of not protecting the environment is worse then the cost of protecting it. You will figure that out when the next war is over water.
Obama should not have promised he could fix it so quickly...that does not make his ideas bad..or wrong. The middle class needs gainful and prosperous employment, and that is not coming from the oligarchy.

obama thinks middle class is a family making 40, 000 a year so the middle class in obamas world will never support anything, A family on longisland 2 parents working making over 100,000 is middle class in todays world but obama thinks thats rich and wants to take more an more taxes when clinton was president 2 people making 500,000 combined was rich lol now its 250,000 living on that in nyc wrestchester or longisland isnt rich

totally put off by Romney's choice of running mate; now there is no other choice but to vote the Obama ticket. Romney should just fold up his tents and go back where he came from and get his car elevator repaired.

Obama Lies to Women--I will cut the Deficit by HALF in my first term

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujrNBFlxGFM

ZERO-Illegals share of Natl Debt

$15,963,800,000,000 Natl Debt after 4 years without a Budget.

Paul Ryan received Social Security benifits when his father died, the same benefits he would deny others. His family's construction Company made their furtune building public roads paid for by taxpayers. More, I got mine now you figure out how to get yours! Republicans like public money when it benefits them!
Mary Kate N

Obama has NO PLAN nor a BUDGET. Irresponsible.

I think it is great that both halves of the ticket want to do something, as fair as possible, to fix Social Security and Medicare before they run out of money. Democrats are playing a bad game, make no specific proposals so in effect they are saying it is ok that everyone's Social security check is cut by 25% when the trust fund runs out in a couple decades. Republicans are actually making proposals to stop that from happening while Democrats propose nothing, just play the "seniors" card on every Republican that proposes anything to fix the problem.

Does anybody have a spare plan for Obama?

Mitt and Paul have a plan. Barack has no plan. Is this a surprise?

In my opinion of what this country needs to do:

1. Stop Outsourcing jobs to other Countries
2. Get the Lobbyists out of Washington
3. Limit foriegn aid
4.Use existing Anti-Monopoly laws to bust up some of the bigger companies to make room for others and allow competition.
5.Tax imports such that its cheaper to make it here in the US and to use that money to lend to start up American companies.
6.Get rid of tax breaks for outsourcing and penalize companies who do so.
7.Force China to square up its currency to stop the unfair advantage.
8. Make the Captial Investment Income tax the same as the Employment Tax. People sitting on thier butts throwing money should have less of a tax percentage then people who are actually earning it.

Thats a start. Notice neither the Republicans or Democrats will do any of this, because its what the average Amercian wants and needs. Both will only do what suits them.

No Plan, then whats Obama hiding?

I think there should be a limit on how many comments a person can make, especially on the same subject.

One last comment. The billionaire oil Koch brothers have contributed billions to this campaign for the Republican party. Do you really think their agenda is about helping the country. What do you think they want in return?

The fiscal policies advocated by Ryan are the same philosophy that created the problem in the first place...The voucher welfare program would undermine services, burden the seniors, and result in lower quality care at higher cost...these are not solutions, they are distractions.

Social Security was NOT created to be your retirement fund. It was to suppliment your savings. Too many people expect Social Security to cover all their expenses as they get older. Perhaps they should have educated themselves prior to expecting it to do so. Social Security cannot be sustained at the rate of aging citizens and they way the monies in S.S. have been 'lent' to other agencies over the years. Health insurance should be up to the individual, just as you live in a home you can afford, drive a vehicle you can afford, so should you purchase a policy you can afford. Depending on the Government for your housing, medical, retirement, etc is not what the United States was founded on. Whatever happened to individual responsibility. You want slavery to come back, vote in the ones that want you to become a slave to the government to take care of you into your golden years. I prefer to take care of myself, live within my means and treasure my freedoms.

to Tired of Hypocrisy
Social Security was created to alleviate poverty. It was created as a supplemental Insurance program. The actuaries based the formula for benefits on income and life expediency which in 1939 was 62 for men. While you loathe government housing and care, it did exist all through history. The history of Poor Houses goes back to the 18th century. They still existed in my grandmothers day and her greatest fear was being put in one. The state used to put impoverished women into poor houses known as work houses. Landlords used to evict widows to the street. The children would be taken by the authorities and put into orphanages and group homes. It wasn't hard to become impoverished. At the time of inception very few workers had a company pension, if they were lucky to have job. Wages were very low, hardly enough to sustain a family and there was federal Home Relief which so many families were on across the country that the Unemployment Tax was included in the SS law and passed because it would alleviate the burden on the US treasury. Do not forget the depression was country wide..the farmers were wiped out by the Dust Bowl. Programs developed by the New Deal helped restore the land and regenerate farms worked. The Food Stamp program so many criticize was created by a Kansas legislator as an aid program for the farmers. It is run by the Agriculture Dept.

As for saving for your own retirement...many of us did...and a third of it was wiped out in the last market crash...the loss to institutional pension funds was 3 trillion dollars. The idea to privatize Social Security is flawed because there is no insurance against loss. If it is invested, like pensions, and 401K's it is at risk of loss. Think back to the S&L scandal...so many seniors had savings in the S&L banks thinking that was safer than wall street. As long as anyone has a dollar there will be a crook in an Armani suit looking to take it away and they are salivating over the social security money.

There is a common misperception that government is more "corrupt" than private businesses... does anyone recall enron, world com, aig, the wall street bail-out... all expensive scandals because of the economic greed of private business... how about the scandals involving radiation and the ford pinto where profit over lives became the most important factor....do not get me wrong, both government and private enterprises pose challenges, the question is who is best suited to handle what we call the basic needs of americans-- meaning gauranteeing that everyone get their basic needs without deference to bias, sex, religion, ethnicity, color, or financial status...the answer is government...this way everyone gets their basics met

Likewise, if someone wants a cadillac plan, someone can individually afford more or different, leave that upto private enterprise where supply and demand control prices and services...

As far as deficits... remember that the democrats, not republicans created the largest surplus in history that was turned into a deficit during good economic times by a republican...the republicans basically squandered good economic times when we should have banked surplusses into a time to give back to friends, corporations, and those who chose to move jobs and resources out of our country...now we are paying the price for their failure to save in good times, and the problems they caused in making the most devastating economic problem in decades...the republicans cut off the arms and legs of the american economy and are now criticizing democrats for not moving... its kindof like an orphan asking for forgiveness after he kills his parents...

Can you be specific about where and on what the spending went nuts? The economic collapse was not spending...it was fraud on Wall Street.
As for tax breaks for business going overseas, not only do they get tax breaks, they get insurance against loss via the Overseas Private Investment Corp. opic.gov
A bill to offer tax breaks to return was crushed by the republicans who would not vote on it unless they could load it up with amendments. You know what that means, a straight forward bill is amended with add ons that have nothing to do with the original bill. There is a huge problem. Legislators hold each other hostage and summarily we pay the price. The US Chamber of Commerce is not a friend of the working man, it has has used coercion to get legislators to vote for free trade treaties by informing congress in both houses that campaign funding will be withheld from any legislator that does not sign the treaty.

Its time to fix the filibuster rule, and legislation should not be amended with add ons that are not relevant to the bill in order to get it voted on.

The filibuster used to require 2/3 vote to end..now its 3/5ths. It became too common and used frivolously. More importantly, it does not lead to debate on the floor. NO one has to hold the floor to defend it . This has lead to obstruction simply by imposing the word. Yes, both sides use it and while it can be useful for major issues it is used for the purpose of stopping all progress. That has caused obstruction that is historic. And we should not be taken sides on this issue. This body of legislators are not doing the hard work they were elected to do. Its a body of narcissistic brats. I am not sure of the separate society you believe that they have..they do contribute to their benefit plan but the plans are superior, they cannot make laws exempting themselves from law, and they are not exempt from the ACA laws however as the employer, the federal government has a menu of medical plans for all of the federal employees, they have the same menu to choose from. There are contract employees who work for independent contractors with federal contracts, those employees get medical plans from the contractor. The congress is
not exempt from paying into Social Security. They were at one time..no more.

@Liberty
You said I sound like a tea party follower. That is really funny as the tea party followers hate me..I am a progressive liberal.
The dem party is fractured by those who are true to the progressive policies but many are so called blue dogs who are conservatives and obstruct along with the right faction of the republicans which now seems to be the whole party. The party is losing many rational moderate republicans, what I would call Eisenhower republicans, because they no longer can stand the direction the party is going. When I asked for specifics,I did not ask for numbers, as my husband used to say when I spent money...WHERE did you spend it? We had unfunded wars and billions of dollars still being spent on restoration and construction of an infrastructure in Iraq and funding the payroll of Iraq security officers. We had tax cuts at a time revenue was needed most. How can funding wars and tax cuts not lead to a deficit? I know all too well the cause and effect of the financial crisis, and it was a long time coming, the road was paved in 1999. Policies do not reset with elections..and its too easy to place blame here and there. In as much as you are of the group that bashes Roosevelt I believe you are not open to fair and logical discussion.

To Liberty....
I have always had a sense of humor and it seems to me it is the conservatives that do not have any...I have yet to see one laugh...all I see in cranky whining.
As for fairness and logic missing in progressives...that is your opinion...to which you are entitled. You are on the right track, not the correct one. Have a nice day.

I laugh all the time at Progressives. I find their posts simply too funny to be anything more than entertainment and fodder.

Thats because you do not understand logic and reason.

if paul ryan made that joe biden comment he would be called a white racist, kkk and he would be forced to leave congress, but a liberal gets a free pass

and liberals are so for the people thats why they live on the upper west side overlooking central park, levittown patched posted recently sold homes for 200,000 thats a disgrace and taxes are 9,000 does that add up??? its terrible to see peoole take care of there homes lawns then theres one pig who destroys the block and theres alot of that here things better change the younger famies need to get more involved because the older generation here wanna keep it like 1955

Can we interact with honesty and integrity, and if we cannot agree, disagree with dignity and respect... regardless of the point of view from any side, and value for an open discussion and moving, us, community, and country forward is lost when we cannot interact with respect... volume or harsh language does not make right, reason and rationale do... (typed but not editted so i apologize for any typos)

We cannot forget that we are a great county, that has accomplished great things...public (govt), private, and yes cooperatively... we have likewise all had failures as well, public (govt), private, and yes cooperatively.... to be as efficient as possible the government is the fairest way to provide the basic needs and steps for our country, steps that individuals, private sector, and selectively when it serves the best interest of all, the government can use to advance and improve our country even further... if one looks at the basic needs of society--safety, education, health, techonology, preservation of natural resources, and infrastructure for businesses and individuals to succeed, the government has made it possible..

The rules of civil discord have been violated by all points of view at one time or another, and they all need to be respected by all points of view....lefty, righty, libertarian, etc.... discussion and process is key to advancing the best interest of all, and for all to accept the result...people are willing to accept a result if they feel resprcted in the process, yet most will not respect the result, even if ther esult is objectively fair, if they were NOT respected in the process...respect is key not only to reaching the proper the result, but also to accepting whichever result is reached.

Pray tell, where the hell did the government get the money to build tthe infrastructure? To use government and effiecency in the same sentence qualifies you to be a comic writer or a writer for msnbc - oh, one in the same, sorry. If we relied on the government to advance our society we would be as backward as Russia and as free as China. Please Ken, go back to sleep and wake up AFTER the November elections. Meant in the very nicest way.

So much for respect, civility, and disagreeing with dignity....being disrespectful then saying "meant in the nicest way" is not respectful, civil, or dignified.....I had hoped for more than that type of response, and maybe some day it will come...I will remain alert, active, interested, and a person of action...

As far as comparing the US to those countries misses several points both elementary and more advanced which I would love to discuss in an open and respectful dialogue....perhaps when you too can act in such a manner we can have an appropriate discussion.. until then... I will continue to discuss witht hose who can do so respectfully, openly, and without personal attacks.

Excuse me professor, are you attacking my civility and dignity? You missed the point that this country's greatness did not come from the government. It came from individual freedom and the liberty that comes from our economic system - Capitalism. The government can not do anything more effecient than the private sector. The US is not like Russia or China - yet. I do believe that Obama would prefer us to be more like them and a second term would allow that to happen. So, professor, with all due respect, what points were missed. Please start with the elementary points as we peasants are sometimes slow to comprehend.

What do you think will happen during the debates? Mitt wants to defend the tax cuts for the rich and Ryan wants to cut Medicare. Mitt wants to do away with Obamacare, which was Mittcare when Mitt was govenor.

Dont forget Obamacare stops insurance companies from dumping people with pre-existing conditions and stops the 2 million dollar lifetime cap.

So now Mitt is going to tell the elderly and sick and poor (half of our population now) that they aren't entitled to a Medicare program they have been taxed for their whole life and if they get really sick too bad.

I wish them good luck because the general public will not vote for any of this.

If I pay for Social Security and Medicare my whole life through taxes that say on my check "Social Security" and "Medicare" I consider it my right not an entitlement.

good luck repubs listen u have no idea what your talking about the ryan bill doesssss not affect anyone over 55 they keep medicare and can opt out if they want anyone under can stay in medicaree get can stay and has optioon to invest there money in any ins company they want thats free choice, the plan does not go in affect till 2024 which means if u are 55 now your grandfathered in if your under 55 u can stay or leave read the facts stop spreading lies and romney tax breaks are for everyone rich people will have money no matter. what tax there is but they wont invest or create jobs either if there money wont flow, and btw those medicare taxes im paying your paying arent goin in a fund for u an me there paying for someone elses medicare. because its broke ane obama care take 500 billion dollars from medicare thats a fact he said it go look it up, so your wrong stop lieing read the facts

Here are the job numbers the media is not reporting about the August job numbers that just came out. This is what the media is telling you...and it's true. "The unemployment rate dropped from 8.3% to 8.1%. 96,000 jobs created in August."

Here are numbers they are NOT telling you:

1) 368,000 people STOPPED looking for work in August. Meaning they CANNOT be counted as unemployed. These people have no more unemployment benefits to claim and have realized there are zero jobs out there for them. If you were to re-calculate those numbers and include the people who are no longer looking for work, the unemployment rate would be 12%. This number does not include the UNDEREMPLOYED, or the people who have stopped looking for work over the past 3 years; that number would be an astonishing 23%.

2) 69% of men are working. Meaning 31% are not. The lowest % of working men since the 1940's.

3) The number of employed Americans is at the lowest number in the past 31 years. An incredible number considering there are more people now in the USA than there were in 1981.

4) A record high of 88,921,000 Americans whom are not in the civilian labor force.

5) Manufacturers have cut the most jobs in August than at anytime in the past two years.

6) The supposed "job growth" each month is LESS THAN the number of people LEAVING the workforce every month. People leaving the work force CANNOT be counted as unemployed.
Romney/ Ryan can fix this with more than "Hope and Change".